Inside the Saudi Pro League: Al Hilal's English Stars Shine as Pressure Mounts on Managers

The Saudi Pro League is currently taking an early season breather during the first international break of the new campaign. Heavyweights Al Hilal, Al Ittihad, and Al Nassr occupy the top spots after seven matches, while Al Ahli remains the only side off the pace among the kingdom's big four. The gap between the top clubs and the lower tier remains stark, with the bottom six sides yet to register a victory, and promoted Abha sitting at the bottom with just two points. We take a look at the main takeaways from the top-flight season so far.

Riyadh giants Al Hilal occupy top spot after winning six of their opening seven league games and scoring 23 goals, despite suffering a defeat that ended their 47-match unbeaten run against Neom. Leading the charge for Al Hilal is their trio of signings from the English Premier League—Crysencio Summerville, Gabriel Martinelli, and Ollie Watkins—who have hit the ground running in the Saudi capital. Although some eyebrows were raised when Al Hilal paid Aston Villa £50 million for 30-year-old Watkins, the England striker debuted with a goal against Al Ahli and later scored a double with two assists in a 6-0 demolition of Al Taawoun. That match also saw £60m Arsenal arrival Gabriel Martinelli score a hat-trick for his first goals since February, while Dutch winger Summerville, 24, arrived from West Ham United for £60m and has contributed two goals and three assists.

Ange Postecoglou is quickly learning what it means to work under the intense media glare surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr. Taking over from Jorge Jesus, who led the club to the first major trophy of the Ronaldo era, the Australian began his reign with five consecutive wins across all competitions and won August's manager of the month award. One highlight was a 3-2 victory over Al Ettifaq where Cristiano Ronaldo, making his first start since the World Cup, was substituted shortly after half-time. However, a run of just one victory in four matches followed, culminating in a 4-0 thrashing away to UAE double-winners Al Ain in the AFC Champions League Elite group phase, leading to a prickly exchange between a frustrated Postecoglou and reporters.

Another new manager under early pressure is Marino Pusic at back-to-back Asian champions Al Ahli. Following the departure of Matthias Jaissle to Premier League side Newcastle United, Pusic took charge in Jeddah but has endured a rocky start with three defeats in seven matches, leaving the club in sixth place. Their struggles continued with a 2-1 defeat to South African side Mamelodi Sundowns in Pretoria, missing out on a chance to face European champions Paris Saint-Germain in the Fifa Continental Cup final.

Meanwhile, at surprise package Neom, 35-year-old former Arsenal striker Alexandre Lacazette continues to turn back the clock. After scoring 11 goals in his debut campaign under manager Christophe Galtier, the Frenchman has added five goals this season to help Neom rise to fifth place. The highlight so far has been a statement 2-0 victory over Al Hilal featuring an own goal by Kalidou Koulibaly and a strike from Amadou Kone, which Christophe Galtier hailed as a historic result for the club.